Manifold inlet valve having linear response

ABSTRACT

An integrated intake manifold assembly including a first poppet valve assembly disposed at the air inlet to the manifold to regulate air flow into the manifold; a second poppet valve assembly disposed on the manifold to regulate exhaust gas flow into the air intake system; and a bi-directional camshaft with cams for operating simultaneously the manifold vacuum regulating (MVR) valve and the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve. The valve bodies are integrally formed in the wall of the intake manifold. The camshaft is driven by a DC motor and gear train. The cams are arranged on the shaft to provide optimum synchronized opening and closing of the related valves. When used on a diesel engine, the manifold assembly may further include a swirl valve plate disposed between the manifold and the engine head and having a plurality of ganged swirl valves actuated by levers connected to the camshaft for coordinated motion with the MVR and EGR valves. Preferably, the swirl valve plate is also ported as a distribution rail to receive exhaust gas from the single EGR valve and distribute it to the individual cylinders. The valve poppets of the MVR and EGR valves include forked yokes engaging the camshaft to minimize side loading of the valve stems by the cams.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/301,734, filed Jun. 28, 2001.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to systems and apparatus for managing gasflow through internal combustion engines; more particularly, to one ormore valving devices associated with the intake manifold of an internalcombustion engine; and most particularly, to an intake manifold assemblyfor an internal combustion engine, such as a diesel engine or a variablevalve lift gasoline engine, wherein an exhaust gas recirculation valve,a manifold inlet air control valve, and other gas-control valves as maybe necessary, are integrated into the assembly, and further, whereininlet air control is made linear by use of a poppet valve actuated by acam lobe on a camshaft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is a characteristic of diesel engines and some variable valve liftgasoline engines that virtually no vacuum exists in the intake manifoldsof such engines. The lack of vacuum creates problems in providingvacuum-assisted functions for applications such as automotive vehicles,marine vessels, and stationary power generators. A conventionalgasoline-powered engine includes a throttle valve at the inlet to theintake manifold to control the flow of air into the engine and therebyto regulate the speed of the engine. Such throttling of the inletvariably creates a subatmospheric condition in the manifold.Recirculation of exhaust gas into the intake manifold uses a pressuredrop between the exhaust manifold and the intake manifold to drawexhaust gas into the intake manifold. Such a pressure drop is virtuallynonexistent in an unmodified diesel engine and also in a gasoline enginewherein gas flow is controlled by varying the lift of the intake valves.

It is known to create manifold vacuum in a diesel intake manifold byproviding an air control valve at the manifold inlet, typically a rotarybutterfly-type valve. Such a valve is typically actuated by an electricmotor and gear train or a stepper motor and is provided as a subassemblywhich must be attached to the manifold as by bolting and which requiresits own power and control connections in a wiring harness.Disadvantageously, a rotary butterfly valve has a highly non-linear flowprofile as a function of valve angle; is difficult to close completelywithout jamming; and typically passes significant air flow in the“closed” position.

It is further known to provide an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valvehaving its own actuator and valve body which also must be bolted to theintake manifold. EGR valves typically are actuated by an electricsolenoid in either a position-modulated or time-modulated mode,requiring additional and separate power and control connections.Further, such solenoids are known to be vulnerable to failure fromcorrosion by permeated exhaust gas. Prior art EGR valves provide exhaustgas globally to the interior of the intake manifold which thendistributes the gas along with intake air via runners to the individualcylinders.

It is further known to provide dual intake ports to each dieselcylinder, one such port being open at all times and the other such portbeing closable by a butterfly-type valve. The ports are off-axis of thecylinders such that when the valves are closed, as under low engine loadconditions, air entering the cylinder is swirled advantageously tocenter the fuel charge in the cylinder. Typically, the individual valvesare actuated by, for example, electrically-powered rotary actuatorssimilar to that known for a throttle valve.

It is a principal object of the present invention to simplify an airintake manifold and associated control valving for a diesel engine,valve-lift controlled gasoline engine, or other gasoline engine, toreduce manufacturing cost, ease assembly, improve and integrate aircontrol through an engine, and increase engine reliability.

It is a further object of the invention to mechanically link and actuatesuch valving.

It is a still further object of the invention to make inlet air controllinear by use of a poppet valve actuated by a cam lobe on a camshaft.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, an integrated intake manifold assembly in accordancewith the invention includes a poppet manifold vacuum regulating valve(MVR valve) disposed at the air inlet to the manifold to regulate airflow into the manifold; a poppet EGR valve disposed on the manifold toregulate exhaust gas flow into the air intake system; and abi-directional camshaft and cams for operating simultaneously the MVRvalve and the EGR valve. The valve bodies are integrally formed in thewall of the intake manifold. The camshaft is driven by a single brush DCmotor and gear train. The cams are arranged on the shaft to provideoptimum synchronized opening and closing of the related valves. The camsmay also be individually shaped as needed to optimize the actuationprofile of each valve. When used on a diesel engine, the assembly mayfurther include a swirl valve plate disposed between the manifold andthe engine head and having a plurality of ganged swirl valves actuatedby linkage connected to the camshaft for coordinated motion with the MVRand EGR valves. Preferably, the swirl valve plate is also ported as adistribution rail to receive exhaust gas from the EGR valve anddistribute it to the individual cylinders, bypassing altogether theinterior of the intake manifold and obviating soot deposits in themanifold.

The valve poppets of the MVR and EGR valves are modified as forked yokeswhich engage the camshaft as reciprocating struts to minimize sideloading of the valve stems by the rotary action of the cams.

An integrated intake manifold assembly in accordance with the invention,when compared to prior art assemblies of stand-alone components,eliminates eight bolts and two gaskets; eliminates two actuators andrelated wiring; eliminates vacuum actuation and hoses; reduces soot inthe air intake system, protecting air components; reduces electricalconnections to two; simplifies manufacture and assembly; and reduces theoverall size and mass of the air control system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be morefully understood and appreciated from the following description ofcertain exemplary embodiments of the invention taken together with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view from above of an embodiment of theinvention, including an associated swirl plate;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view like that shown in FIG. 1 but taken from theopposite side of the embodiment, showing the swirl plate and swirlvalves;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the embodiment from above, without the swirlplate;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the embodiment from below, without the swirlplate;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the operative mechanism contained in theembodiment as shown in FIG. 1, taken from the same point of view withthe manifold omitted;

FIG. 6 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1 through 5, taken along line 6—6 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the embodiment, showing the locationsof various cross-sections taken in the following drawings;

FIG. 8 is an elevational cross-sectional view of an alternativearrangement of linkage between the camshaft and the swirl valve shaft,showing also the distribution of exhaust gas from the EGR valve throughan exhaust gas distribution rail;

FIG. 9 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the manifold vacuumregulation valve, taken along line 9—9 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the exhaust gasrecirculation valve, taken along line 10—10 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a detailed elevational cross-sectional view of the manifoldvacuum regulation valve, showing the incorporation of a reciprocatingyoke to limit side-loading of the valve stem in its sleeve bearing;

FIG. 12 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the motor and geartrain which actuates the camshaft, taken along line 12—12 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 is an end view of the embodiment, taken from theelectromechanical drive end;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14—14 in FIG. 13,showing the relationships among the drive motor, gear train, andcamshaft;

FIG. 15 is a graph showing actuation curves for the swirl valves,manifold vacuum regulation valve, and exhaust gas recirculation valve asoptimized for an exemplary diesel engine; and

FIGS. 16 through 19 are isometric views from above of the swirl valvecontrol subassembly at four different stages of camshaft rotation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, the embodiment is assumed to be orientedsuch that an associated engine is beside, and an exhaust manifold below,the embodiment. The use of the terms up, down, upper, lower, above, andbelow assume such an orientation.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, an integrated intake manifold assembly10 in accordance with the invention includes an intake manifold element12 preferably formed as by die casting of metal such as aluminum alloy.Formed integrally with element 12 are a first housing 14 for a manifoldvacuum regulating (MVR) valve assembly 16; a second housing 18 for anexhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve assembly 20; a third housing 22for a drive motor (not visible in these drawings); a fourth housing 24for a gear train (also not visible); a fifth housing 26 for a leveractuator 28 attached to a camshaft 82; a first mounting flange 30 forattaching assembly 10 to an engine block or head 32; a second mountingflange 34 for attaching assembly 10 to an exhaust manifold 36; and areceptacle 38 for mounting of a manifold vacuum sensor 40 having anelectrical connector 42 for conventional connection to an engine controlmodule (ECM) (not shown). Unlike prior art intake manifolds in which MVRvalves and EGR valves are assembled onto a manifold and requireindependent electrical actuation, position sensing, and control, thepresent MVR and EGR valves are integrally formed into the manifolditself and mechanically actuated by a common camshaft, as describedfurther below.

Attached to, but separate from, integrated intake manifold assembly 10is a swirl valve plate 44 disposed between assembly 10 and engine 32.Plate 44 includes first ports 46, for distributing air from manifold 12into each of four engine cylinders (not shown) under low engine load,and second ports 48 in flow parallel with first ports 46 for providingadditional air under high load conditions. Air flow from manifold 12through second ports 48 may be regulated by swirl control valves 50which are ganged for unified action by being mounted on a single controlshaft 52 extending through axially aligned bores 54 in plate 44. A link56 connects first lever actuator 28 with a similar second lever actuator58 (FIGS. 8, 18, and 19) attached to shaft 52. When valves 50 areclosed, air is introduced tangentially to the cylinders only via ports46, causing a swirling motion which tends to desirably center the fuelcharge on the piston. Under high air and fuel volumes, when valves 50are open, such swirling is unimportant and is eliminated.

Such linkage may be attached to actuator 28 either above the axis ofrotation, as shown for example in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 16-19, or below theaxis of rotation, as shown in FIG. 8. The arrangement shown in FIG. 8allows for the actuation of a swirl-port system with no linkagesexternal to the intake manifold. All of the components of this mechanismthus may be hidden internally, within the intake manifold and swirlplate, by appropriately configuring the manifold. After the assembly ismounted to the engine, all moving parts are concealed and protected fromthe environment, providing a safe, robust assembly.

Preferably, plate 44 is also provided with a longitudinal channel 60matable with a similar channel 62 formed in assembly 10 to form anexhaust gas distribution rail 64 supplied with exhaust gas via anexhaust gas conduit 66 from EGR valve assembly 20. Rail 64 is connectedvia individual runners (not visible) to each of first ports 46 fordispensing exhaust gas into each of the cylinders of engine 32. Thisarrangement thus accomplishes controlled exhaust gas recirculation tothe cylinders without exposing the interior of the intake manifold tosoot and corrosive oxides. Of course, for simplicity of construction, anintegrated EGR valve assembly 20 in accordance with the invention maysimply feed exhaust gas via a conduit 66′ analogous to conduit 66directly into intake manifold 12 for distribution with air into thecylinders, as in the prior art. Further, in some applications of theinvention to spark-ignited gasoline powered engines, the swirl plate isnot needed and distribution of EGR to the individual cylinders is notrequired, in which case assembly 10 is mounted directly onto engine 32,and conduit 66′ represents the preferred embodiment.

In gasoline engines throttled by variable valve lift, valve assembly 16may function as a manifold vacuum regulating valve, substantially as ina diesel engine as described herein. However, in gasoline enginesthrottled conventionally by a manifold inlet valve, an integrated intakemanifold assembly in accordance with the invention may be usefullyadapted for conventional throttle control by valve assembly 16.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 6, 13, and 14, the mechanism 68 of the inventionis housed in the various integrated housings formed in manifold 12, asrecited above.

The power train is a conventional motor and reduction gear train. Asingle brush DC motor 70, housed in third housing 22, is provided with afirst pinion gear 72 which meshes with first ring gear 74 mounted on anidle shaft 76. Second pinion gear 78, attached to first ring gear 74,meshes with second ring gear 80 which is mounted on camshaft 82 via anoutput spring 84. A camshaft position sensor 79 is disposed on theproximal end 81 of camshaft 82. The gear train and position sensor arehoused in a cover 83 boltable to the intake manifold. An electricalconnector 85 provides power and operating signals to the motor andcarries information from position sensor 79 to the ECM.

Camshaft 82 is journalled in three sets of ball bearings 87 retained inbearing mounts formed in intake manifold 12 and rotates about an axis77. MVR cam 86 and EGR cam 88, having throughbores, are mounted oncamshaft 82 at predetermined axial locations and at a predeterminedangular relationship to each other. After the cams have been properlypositioned during assembly, they are fixed in place by set screws 90.Preferably, after assembly and testing, the cams are drilled and pinned91 to the camshaft.

Referring also to FIGS. 9 and 11, manifold vacuum regulating valveassembly 16 includes a poppet valve head 92 for mating with seat 94formed integrally with manifold 12. Seat 94 is formed in a bore 96defining an air inlet to manifold 12. A valve pintle 98 extends from theunderside of poppet head 92 and is received in a pintle bearing insert100 disposed in a cylindrical boss 102 formed in manifold 12 for guidingthe pintle and head along a first axis of motion 103 orthogonal tocamshaft axis 77 during actuation of the valve. A return spring 104surrounds boss 102 and is seated against a step in boss 102 for urginghead 92 toward seat 94, to a normally-closed position. Poppet valve head92 is further provided with a slot and transverse bore for receiving aroller 106 and pin 107 for following the surface of MVR cam 86. In FIGS.5, 6, 9, and 11, MVR valve assembly 16 is shown in the open position,permitting the passage of air through inlet bore 96 into intake manifold12.

Preferably, spring 104 is selected and the valve head and seat areconstructed such that assembly 16 is fully closed when the engine isshut down. This prevents entry of additional air into the engine,important for some gasoline engines in preventing the well-known“diesel” effect of continued compressive running after the ignition isoff. Prior art butterfly-type manifold entry valves are incapable ofproviding this advantage. Additionally, the spring strength of spring104 is preferably selected such that, in the event of valve controlfailure, the valve can be forced open by air compressed by a dieselsupercharger and the engine can continue to run although non-optimally.

Referring again to FIGS. 5 and 6, and additionally FIG. 10, exhaust gasrecirculation valve assembly 20 includes a poppet valve head 108 formating with seat 110 inserted into a step 112 in a bell-shaped valvebody 114 formed integrally with manifold 12. Body 114 terminates at itslower end in flange 34, as recited above, for mounting onto exhaustmanifold 36. A valve pintle 116 extends through poppet head 108 and issecured thereto by nut 109, which sets the tolerance stack-up in thevalve assembly. Further, pintle 116 extends from the upper side ofpoppet head 108 and is received in a stepped bore 118 formed in manifold12 for guiding the pintle and head along a second axis of motion 119orthogonal to camshaft axis 77 during actuation of the valve. A returnspring 120 surrounds pintle 116 and is captured between a pintle bearinginsert 122 and an annular flange 124 on pintle 116 for urging head 108toward seat 110, to a normally-closed position. The upper end of pintle116 is further provided with a slot and transverse bore for receiving aroller 126 and pin 127 for following the surface of EGR cam 88.Referring again to FIG. 8, first conduit 66 connects EGR valve assembly20 to exhaust gas rail 64. In FIGS. 5, 6, and 10, EGR valve assembly 20is shown in the closed position, preventing the passage of exhaust gasthrough flange 34 into exhaust gas rail 64.

Referring to FIG. 10, preferably EGR cam 88 is provided with a hookportion 128 which engages and captures roller 126 when cam 88 is rotatedsufficiently counterclockwise, thereby mechanically locking assembly 20in a closed position.

Referring again to FIGS. 5, 6, and 11, each of valve poppets inassemblies 16, 20 is provided with a yoke element 130 extending fromeither the valve head (MVR valve head 92) or the valve pintle (EGR valvepintle 116) toward camshaft 82 and terminating in flat fork tines 132which embrace the camshaft and preferably are slidingly fitted againsttheir respective cam lobes 86, 88. If desired, additional stiffness ofthe tines may be obtained by connecting the tines with a strap 134, asshown in FIG. 11. The tines thus provide lateral support to the valvepintles 98, 116 at their upper ends and thereby inhibit side loading ofthe pintles by the rotary action of the cam lobes. This reduces wear onthe pintles and pintle bearings and increases the working life andreliability of the valves.

FIG. 15 shows the operation of an integrated intake manifold assembly inaccordance with the invention. Exemplary actuation curves for the swirlvalve shaft 52, MVR valve 16, and EGR valve 20 are shown for a typicaldiesel engine application. Also refer to FIGS. 16 through 19 wherein theaccompanying action of the swirl valve control subassembly 138 is shown.Relative valve position is shown in FIG. 15 as a function of camshaftposition. Arbitrarily, the curves represent full engine speed at the farleft (270° of camshaft rotation) and engine shutdown at the far right(0° of camshaft rotation).

Beginning at maximum engine speed and air flow, shown at the far left ofFIG. 15, the swirl valves 50 (FIG. 16) and the MVR are fully open. Thereis no exhaust gas recirculation. The EGR valve is both closed and lockedshut by hook 128 to prevent its being forced open by high intakemanifold pressures from the engine turbocharger which would limit theeffectiveness of the turbocharger.

Because first lever actuator 28 has an arcuate slotted opening 136 forconnection to link 56, the camshaft and swirl control body 140 are ableto rotate counterclockwise sufficiently (about 20°) to unlock the EGRvalve before link 56 becomes engaged in controlling the swirl valves.First torsion spring 142 is disposed in torsional compression on body140 between notch 144 and pin extension 146 (see also FIG. 5), thusurging link 56 toward the valve-closed position shown in FIGS. 16 and17. Second torsion spring 148 is also disposed in torsional compressionon body 140 between lever actuator 28 and a recess in manifold 12 (notshown) but is counter-wound from spring 142. Spring 148 urges actuator28 counterclockwise as seen in FIGS. 16-19 (springs omitted or partiallyomitted in FIGS. 17-19 for clarity).

Camshaft 82 is provided with a radial tang 150 which can engage an axialtang 152 extending from body 140. In the 0° camshaft position shown inFIG. 16, body 140 and actuator 28 are are rotated by the camshaft suchthat the EGR valve is both closed and locked shut by hook 128, as shownin FIG. 10.

As engine load is decreased (camshaft begins to rotatecounterclockwise), the EGR valve is unlocked in the first 250 ofrotation. Because first lever actuator 28 has arcuate slotted opening136 for connection to link 56, the camshaft is able to rotate clockwisesufficiently to unlock the EGR valve without beginning to close theswirl valves, as shown in FIG. 17. Link 56 becomes engaged by actuator28 at the right end of slot 136.

Between about 25° and 45° of rotation, link 56 is drawn counterclockwiseby actuating lever 28, closing the swirl valves completely, as shown inFIG. 18, and the engine thus becomes supplied with air solely throughfirst ports 46 (FIG. 2). The link is now prevented by the closing of theswirl valves from traveling farther, so further rotation of body 140 isprevented; the camshaft, however, may continue to be rotated within body140, as body 140 is rotatably disposed on sealed bearings 141 (FIG. 6)mounted on camshaft 82. As camshaft rotation continues, tang 150separates from tang 152, as shown in FIG. 19.

At about 50° of camshaft rotation, the EGR valve begins to open, addingexhaust gas to the air entering the cylinders. The MVR valve remainswide open until about 90° of rotation, then begins to close. Because theMVR valve is a poppet valve rather than a conventional rotary butterflyvalve, the open area of the valve between the seat and head iscylindrical and therefore flow through the valve is linear with respectto pintle motion, and the slope of the curve is readily controlled byappropriately shaping the MVR cam lobe.

The normal operating range of the engine is typically between campositions of about 100° and 150°. Beyond about 180°, the MVR valve isfully closed (no fresh air is being admitted to the engine) and the EGRvalve is fully open. Such a condition may be useful duringnon-combustive periods, such as going downhill, when fuel is withheldfrom the cylinders and recirculation of stale exhaust gas canprogressively cool the engine cylinders.

Finally, at engine shutdown, the camshaft is rotated to about 270° tothe position shown in FIG. 19 and the swirl, MVR, and EGR valves areclosed. When the engine is restarted, the camshaft is automaticallyrotated clock wise through a predetermined angle to provide optimalopening settings for the MVR and EGR valves, the swirl valves remainingclosed until high engine speed is again required.

All the recited camshaft positions are programmed into a conventionalengine control module in known fashion, which module receives variousengine inputs including manifold pressure signals from sensor 40 and camposition signals from sensor 79. The ECM controls the action of motor 70responsive to these and other signals and algorithms stored therein.

While the invention has been described by reference to various specificembodiments, it should be understood that numerous changes may be madewithin the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described.Accordingly, it is intended that the invention not be limited to thedescribed embodiments, but will have full scope defined by the languageof the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An integrated air intake manifold assembly for aninternal combustion engine, comprising; a) an air intake manifold havingan air inlet; and b) an intake poppet valve assembly disposed on saidmanifold and being associated with said air inlet for regulating flow ofair into said manifold.
 2. A manifold assembly in accordance with claim1, wherein said intake poppet valve assembly includes an intake valvebody integrally formed in and defined by said manifold, and an intakepoppet valve associated with said intake valve body.
 3. A manifoldassembly in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a camshaftrotatably disposed at least partially within said intake manifold, saidcamshaft having an intake cam, said intake cam being engaged with saidintake poppet valve, said intake cam for controllably actuating saidintake poppet valve.
 4. A manifold assembly in accordance with claim 3,further comprising drive means for controllably rotating said camshaftto actuate said intake poppet valve.
 5. A manifold assembly inaccordance with claim 4, wherein the relationship between an open areaof said intake poppet valve and an axial position of said poppet islinear.
 6. A manifold assembly in accordance with claim 4, wherein saidengine is a gasoline-powered engine, said intake poppet valve assemblycomprises a throttle valve adapted for primary throttle control ofrotational speed of said engine.
 7. A manifold assembly in accordancewith claim 4, wherein said engine is a gasoline-powered engine equippedwith variable valve lift for primary throttle control of rotationalspeed of said engine, said intake poppet valve assembly comprises amanifold vacuum regulating valve controlling vacuum within saidmanifold.
 8. A manifold assembly in accordance with claim 4, whereinsaid engine is a diesel engine, said intake poppet valve assemblycomprises a manifold vacuum regulating valve controlling vacuum withinsaid manifold.
 9. An internal combustion engine, comprising: a) an airintake manifold affixed to said engine, said intake manifold having anair inlet; and b) an intake poppet valve assembly disposed on saidmanifold and being associated with said air inlet for regulating a flowof air into said manifold.